New mandolin strap design from Pinegrove Leather UK.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Last year,i managed to find one leather worker over here, who was actually willing & enthusiastic enough to make me a mandolin strap - Rod Boyes of 'Pinegrove Leather' in Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire.

Since then,Rod's e-mailed me to keep me up to date with his strap designs etc. so i know that he'll soon be producing a new banjo strap(s). I received an e-mail from him yesterday, & i see that he's produced a new mandolin strap which seems as though it'll suit both "F" & "A" style mandolins. I quite like the design,especially for an "A" style 'under the extension' fit. For an "F" style,i personally still prefer a one piece strap,
http://www.pinegroveleather.co.uk/Le...p/pg161050.htm

Plaease note that i have no financial connection with Pinegrove Leather other than that of a being a satisfied customer,
Ivan

[mandroid]

A friend has a strap with a Button on the end the button is wider than the slot of the F scroll .

so the mandolin is angled a bit differently, Than a loop over the scroll strap like that
and so Many others do..

Button is on the strap not the Mandolin. its a Leather button to not leave marks.

[Al Trujillo]

From what I see it looks like a great looking strap! I'd like to see some pictures of how it attaches to an A.

[Ron McMillan]

It's not to my taste, but it does look very well made.

[Ivan Kelsall]

From Al Trujillo - "I'd like to see some pictures of how it attaches to an A." Al - I think that it would be very easy to attach to an "A" style mandoldin if it's an 'under the fingerboard extension' fit that you're after. You'd un-hitch the round leather cord from the strap,pass it under the extension & re-attach it to the main strap. That way,the 'loop' is around the top of the mandolin body under the extension, instead of around the scroll.

I'm just waiting for a bit of info.from the maker,Rod Boyes, (cord diameter), & i'll most likely buy one for my Ellis "A" style,
Ivan

[Willie Poole]

That strap does look pretty nice and I can see how it would wrap arounf tunder the extension of the fret board...

If some of you are like me I like to get things as inexpensive as I can so I have made straps to fit F model mandolins from dog leashes that I see being sold at flea markets or even Wal-Mart, they are leather and already have the loop sewn into then to fit over the scroll, all one has to do is punch a hole where ever he/she wants the end pin to slip into and there you have it, cost about 4-5 bucks...


Willie

[Lord of the Badgers]

The funny thing is, the other week I wrote to Rod to suggest this very design - I use a wireless system, and I like clipping it to the strap so I can hand the mando to our guitarist for some songs. My thin pinegrove wasn't up to the job. So I proposed just this design.
Rod said ... well actually here's a pic of our latest (this one). Ironic!!

Getting one soon.

Great minds etc... (tho Rod himself designed it with another mando player)

[Ivan Kelsall]

I'm still waiting for a reply to my e-mail regarding the leather cord diameter.

Here's a couple of photos of the guitar straps my friend & strap maker John Brown from Miami Fla. made for Roger McGuinn. Unfortunately,i'm pretty sure that John passed away several years ago. I don't suppose that showing these pics. is infringing any copyright or trademark - at least John never mentioned that to me.

Regarding Rod's design - i made myself a banjo strap 50 years ago that used a very similar leather thong idea to attach to the tension hooks on my banjo - it was either that or metal dog lead clips - NO WAY !.
Ivan

[Trevor M]

Definitely great quality straps, I've bought at least 3, they look good and are really strong. I'd definitely agree about the one-piece strap for a "F" style, Rod's really fit the bill.

I have no financial interest in Pinegrove, just a very satisfied customer

Trevor

[Ivan Kelsall]

I received an e-mail from Rod that i read this morning. He has concerns regarding the round leather thong being a tad too 'slippy',so he's changing it to square thong. I'm pretty sure that will do it !. The banjo strap i've had on my Stelling is held together at the back end by a square thong, & it's held 16 lbs of banjo for 30 years without slipping. Rod's sending me one to try out & this is NOT a freebie. If it works ok for a couple of months,i'll buy it - it seems fair to me !,
Ivan

[Ray(T)]

I've never been into thongs, Ivan[] but Rod does make really good straps. I'm not sure about the neck end, it looks too complicated to me although it might suit some people, but I do like the option of a wider strap.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Hi Ray - At first glance the apparent 'tangle' at the strap end does look a bit off putting,but it's dead simple. Pull the thong ends out of the holes in the strap,pass the thong under the 'Florida' ("A" style mando.),push the ends up through one pair of holes,pull the ends up to obtain the strap length that you want,cross them over & push them down through the other holes,
Ivan

[Ray(T)]

...... much of which could be replaced by fitting a strap button - if one were so inclined!

[Ron McMillan]

The leather straps I make which are not made for strap buttons on the neck side of the body have long thongs that, when the owner has decided where they will be attached (around headstock or under fretboard), he/she can lop off the unwanted lengths of thong. Obviously the Pinegrove straps need to have the same kind of adjustability, so I'm sure there are equally simple ways to 'tidy' them up, if that's what you need.

Me, I like a strap button at the heel of the neck, but I, too, have heard that some folks don't like that solution

[AlanN]

Definitely great quality straps, I've bought at least 3, they look good and are really strong. I'd definitely agree about the one-piece strap for a "F" style, Rod's really fit the bill.

I have no financial interest in Pinegrove, just a very satisfied customer

Trevor

Same here.

I have the F-model dark leather strap and adore it. Alerted to this strap and obtained via the grace of a cafe member, it is solid but not stiff, narrow but not skimpy, simple but not cheap. It just fits me, the mandolin and the case rather perfectly.

[Kalasinar]

That is a really lovely strap design. I remember seeing Pinegrove's previous design in a thread on here some time ago, and that one was very nice too. This one is even better - i love the cord and how it attaches to the strap. Simple yet effective. I appreciate fine leather craftsmanship and i admit i am sorely tempted by these, even though i don't actually need a new strap :/

[dorenac]

I wonder if the maker would consider punching additional parellel holes up the the strap a ways to enable weaving the tag ends out of the way? This would allow for future adjustment if so desired.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Dorenac - If you contact Rod via his website & ask him to,he'll puch as many holes in the strap as you like. I would however,cut the tag ends a bit shorter once i'd established that the thongs weren't going to slip,then maybe 2 holes per side along the strap would do it,& create enough friction to prevent slipping - ie. push the tag ends up through one pair of holes,& then down through the other to keep them out of sight. Personally,i rather like the ''dangly'' appearance,

Regarding RayT's liking for a wider strap - The strap only needs to be 'wider' around / over your shoulder,it only needs to be narrower to fit the scroll. Again,if you were to ask Rod to make a wider strap,i'm pretty sure he would do. It's simple enough to ask,
Ivan
rod@pinegroveleather.co.uk

[Ray(T)]

Yes Ivan, I know that Rod will make you almost anything you ask for - I've just ordered my 4th strap from him. I was simply saying that his new strap seems to be significantly wider than his previous models. Tea break over, back to cutting the hedge!

[Ivan Kelsall]

Hi Ray - The new strap is of course wider to accomodate the thong. If asked,i'm sure Rod would produce a strap similar to the one that i bought years ago,about 3/4" wide, narrowing down to 1/2" to fit around the scroll. Personally,i prefer the narrower style simply because it folds out of the way inside my case.
If my much missed friend from Fla.,John Brown,was still alive,he'd have made you one of these. A 1.5" wide strap,with a soft leather loop for the scroll,easily the most comfortable strap i have,
Ivan

[Ivan Kelsall]

I received the ''new design'' strap from Rod Boyes this morning & it's great !. I fitted it to my Ellis "A" style with the thong running under the fingerboard extension. To make it easier to fit,i removed the thong completely from the main strap, which caused one slight problem - getting the square thong back through the round holes was ''tricky'' !!. I got round that problem by using a small pair of smooth jawed, snipe nosed pliers to squash the thong ends slightly, which worked fine. Having replaced the thong on the main strap,it was a simple job to adjust it's length to suit me by pulling the thong back through the holes & then pulling it tight again.

I e-mailed Rod & suggested that in order to make the thong easier to re-fit (if removed) he cut tapered ends on the thong,which should work ok. At least i know that there's more than enough friction to hole the thong in place without it slipping.

I used it this morning whilst practicing & it's as comfy to wear as you'd expect from a wider strap. All in all,it's a great strap which does the job & which looks pretty good as well. I'll see how it survives over the next few weeks or so,but i suspect that it'll be fine,
Ivan

[Kalasinar]

Thanks for sharing those pictures Ivan, looks really good on your Ellis mandolin. I really like the design (including the excess cord dangling, i like that effect), and i decided to keep my starter mandolin rather than sell it, so i will be needing another strap after all. I'll probably be making an order for one soon.

[Ivan Kelsall]

I used my trusty scalpel yesterday to cut a taper on the ends of the thong on my strap & it worked fine. A simple 1/2" long taper allows the ends to be pushed back through the holes in the main strap, & be pulled back through very easily.
I agree - the 'dangly bits' give it a bit of a ''rugged'' appearance,something i also like,
Ivan